Report identifies barriers to patient feedback
People are more likely to feedback about commercial services and products than their experiences of health and social care, according to new research by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Healthwatch England (HWE).
In a survey of 2,000 people, more than half said they find it easier to provide feedback about their experiences of commercial products than health and social care.
Despite more than 7 in 10 people saying they feel health and social care services are a priority for them, only 2 in 10 said they had given feedback in the last two years.
The top three reasons for not giving feedback were:
- Thinking feedback would not be listened to
- Worrying it would have a negative impact on care
- Not wanting to cause a problem for those caring for them
People also said sharing feedback about commercial products and services was less emotionally taxing and less personal.
The research is part of a new Share for Better Care campaign launched by CQC and HWE in collaboration with partners including PIF member the Patients Association.
Read more about the research via the CQC website here.
Study: Patient and public willingness to share personal health data
A new systematic review aims to explore factors affecting public willingness to share personal health data for third-party or secondary uses.
Factors most commonly identified as a barrier to data sharing from a public perspective included data privacy, security and management concerns.
Other factors found to influence willingness to share personal health data included:
- The type of data being collected
- Trust in the data user
- Perceived motivations for data sharing requests
- The ability to directly impact patient care
- The presence of a clear feedback loop
- Clearly articulated benefits or issue relevance
Authors conclude failure to understand, design, and refine data sharing approaches in response to changeable patient preferences can prevent its benefits being fully realised.
Read the full study findings via the JMIR website here.
Mental health in later life
A new briefing says ageist attitudes and assumptions about mental health in later life underpin a system that discriminates against older people.
The briefing by Age UK and the Centre for Mental Health says fatalistic assumptions about what people can expect for their mental health in later life undermine the provision of effective support.
This happens at an individual level, for example in interactions with health and care professionals, and more systemically, in the planning of health services and prioritisation of resources.
It means older people are too often excluded from services and support that could help them to enjoy a healthier and happier later life.
Read the full report via the Centre for Mental Health website here.
Tackling the negative impact shame has on people with mental illness
See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, has launched a campaign to tackle the negative impact shame has on those living with a mental illness.
The "If It's Okay" campaign aims to give a voice to those who do not feel like it is okay to have a long-term mental illness.
It comes after new research revealed 6 in 10 Scottish people think there is still shame associated with mental illness.
Read more about the campaign via the ALLIANCE website here.
Mental health and wellbeing services for LBT+ women
The National LGBT Partnership has developed a new mental health service directory designed for LBT+ women.
The directory covers concerns from domestic and sexual violence services, to bi and trans support.
View the directory via the Consortium website here.
Effective principles for allocating health inequalities funding
The NHS Confederation has published a report exploring how ring-fenced health inequalities funding has been used across the country and making recommendations for further progress.
It includes a practical toolkit with tips on how to implement high-impact changes to address health inequalities.
The toolkit includes principles for designing the best solution including:
- Put people at the heart of everything you do
- Be inclusive
- Test your assumptions
- Make, learn, iterate
Read the full report and access the toolkit via the NHS Confederation website here.
Musculoskeletal health inequalities and deprivation
Research by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) has found deprivation is a significant driver of inequalities in musculoskeletal (MSK) health.
People in deprived areas experience more chronic pain, are more likely to have a long term MSK condition and experience worse clinical outcomes and quality of life.
However, ARMA says these inequalities are avoidable through changes in the design and delivery of MSK services and actions to address wider determinants of health and prevention.
Its report sets out principles which can be applied to any service to address barriers to equality of access. These include knowing your community, engagement, co-production and good use of data.